The Venice Biennale opened on Saturday, May 9, without a single Golden Lion award, as the jury walked off duty in protest at the participation of Israel and Russia. Meanwhile, artists and pavilions are rejecting the new Audience Award.
This is stated in a joint statement by artists on the website of the e-flux art platform.
“As of May 9, 2026, we, the undersigned artists from the In Minor Keys collective, selected by Coyo, Artistic Director of the 61st Venice Biennale, as well as representatives of the national pavilions, withdraw from the competition for the Visitor Lion Award,” the statement reads.
It is noted that the signatories took this step in solidarity with the resignation of the jury formed by Koyo. The statement was supported by more than 50 artists and craftsmen.
As reported by the Associated Press, visitors to the Giardini and Arsenale exhibition grounds will vote for the best national pavilion among 100 participants and the best participant in the main curatorial exhibition In Minor Keys in the style of Eurovision.
Voting will be anonymous and conducted by email, the biennale said on Saturday. The winners will be announced on the closing day, November 22.
On April 22, the international jury announced in a statement that it would not consider countries whose leaders are accused of war crimes for awards. The media linked this decision, in particular, to Russia and Israel. On April 30, the entire international jury, formed by artistic director Koyo Kuo, resigned.
So after the jury's resignation and the transition to audience voting, these restrictions no longer apply, and all countries, including Russia and Israel, remain in the evaluation process.
It is known that European Commissioner for Culture Glenn Micallef will not attend the opening of the Venice Biennale on May 9 due to participation in the Russian Pavilion exhibition. Earlier, Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli announced his refusal to participate in the opening for the same reason.